Western Brook Pond Boat Tour - 1

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A local gentleman told us that Western Brook Pond would make us say "Wow! That's beautiful!" and Trout River Pond would make us say "Hummmm, that's interesting." His words were almost prophetic. We found ourselves amazed at the almost overwhelming grandeur of this area. Anglers may be chomping at the bit to come fishing; however, there are very few fish in this pond because the water is so pure there is little food for fish; in fact, it contains some of the purest water in the world. Newfoundland waters contain no fish species that live only in freshwater; most fish spend at least part of their lives in salt water.

The awe-inspiring Long Range Mountains are the northernmost extent of the Appalachians. Western Brook Pond is 16 km (10 mile) long. It has a depth of 165m (180 yards) and the cliffs on either side reach a height of 700m (0.43 mile). This fresh-water lake is a glacier-carved, land-locked fjord created many millennia ago. Because only small streams feed this pond, it is estimated it would take 15 years to refill if it ever ran dry. The Newfoundland definition of pond is any body of fresh water. Thus it is Western Brook Pond and not Western Brook Lake.

There is a 45 minute hike to arrive at the boat tour. This 3 KM (1.8 mile) trek is beautiful and has elevated wooden walkways through bogs and a few gentle slopes but wasn't too challenging for us out-of-shape vacationers. Even with the inconvenience of an over-crowded tour boat, we're certainly glad we chose to take this tour. Don't get out your kayak yet, small craft are forbidden on this lake because of the possibility of sudden storms and the magnitude of the wind that whips through this long mountain-locked fjord.